


in our house

by shell-heads (chocopies)



Series: Cap/IM Bingo 2018 II [3]
Category: Marvel, Marvel (Comics), The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - 19th Century, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-08-25 04:57:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16654666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chocopies/pseuds/shell-heads
Summary: Steve knows he loves Tony with all his heart and soul, truly. It's not a question of whether he would give up his sad, ramshackle home and friendless life up for Tony-it's a question of what wouldn't he give up for the man he loves, because nothing in the world could ever mean more to him than Tony does. But after all these years, miles and miles away from the lands Tony grew up on and the people he was raised with, he wonders if maybe Tony regrets giving it all up for their quant little house and small farm, and his heart aches.Steve's an idiot.“Isn’t it lonely, missing your family and friends? I miss Aunt May and Uncle Ben every time I go to the city,” little Peter Parker asks him.“Lonely?” Tony scoffs gently, ruffling Peter’s hair, “how could I be lonely when I’ve got all the friends and family I need right here?”“You do?” Peter asks, giggling when Tony softly scuffs his chin.“Of course!” Tony exclaims. “I’ve got Steve for family, and Miss Natasha and Pepper for friends, and all the town for company-I’d be a right brute to think I was lonely after all that, wouldn’t I? No, sir, I'm perfectly happy where I am."





	in our house

They run away in the dark of night, loaded packs and wild hearts scrambling under the light of the stars, and no one ever sees them again. 

Steve leaves nothing but the sad shambles of what used to be a home, having had nothing to tie him to the land but the warmth of Tony’s hand in his own. Tony- _darling_ , precious, Tony-leaves his house, his lands, his friends, his family, all of it for Steve. He packs himself clothes and money and his papers, and he never looks back _once_ upon the lands he was raised within, his breath quick but his feet firmly set on the ground.

Steve wonders, even all these years later, if it was a mistake. Not to love Tony-nothing in the entirety of the universe could make him regret _that_ , not when Tony is everything dear and good and warm in this world, when Steve can hardly bear being apart for mere hours, much less a lifetime-but to take Tony away from all that he was and knew. He stares at their small house and its small farm and the worn quality of their clothes, and he wonders if all his love has done is hurt Tony when Tony has only ever saved him.

“Mr. Stark,” little Peter Parker asks him curiously, chubby little legs swinging from atop the farm fence as he watches Tony fix the Parker’s wagon, “Uncle Ben said you came from a really really far place, farther than the city!”

Laughing, Tony tosses his sweaty hair out of his face and grins up at Peter, “I sure did, Mr. Parker. It’d take you two months to get from there to the city, little one.”

“ _Wow_ ,” Peter gasps, all wide-eyed wonder as he leans in closer, “that’s far.”

“It is,” Tony agrees, humoring him while he hammers another slat into place, Steve hiding a grin behind the firewood in his arms as he carries it to the shed and listens to Peter chatter away at Tony. 

“Do you ever miss it, Mr. Tony?” Peter asks, Steve and Tony both biting down full-bellied laughs at the easy switch from “Mr. Stark” to “Mr. Tony”, “Your old home, I mean. It seems awful far to visit from here.”

Heart catching in his throat, Steve stumbles in the midst of his wood-chopping and sets himself to rights before setting the axe down, not trusting himself to swing it properly with his ears straining so hard to pay attention to their conversation. 

“It certainly is,” Tony nods, eyeing his work on the wagon one last time before turning to face Peter, crossing his arms over the fence to lean his cheeks against them and stare up at Peter with a wide smile. “Whyever would I need to visit it, though?”

“Wouldn’t you?” Peter gasps, leaning in so close their noses nearly meet. “Isn’t it _lonely_ , missing your family and friends? I miss Aunt May and Uncle Ben every time I go to the city for Mr. Jameson.” 

“Lonely?” Tony scoffs gently, ruffling Peter’s hair as Steve picks up the logs scattered around him and shapes them into a pile, “how could I be lonely when I’ve got all the friends and family I need right here?”

“You do?” Peter asks interestedly, scrunching his nose and giggling when Tony runs his finger down its slope and softly scuffs his chin, batting his hand away playfully. 

“Of course!” Tony exclaims, eyes widening dramatically. “I’ve got Steve for family, and Miss Natasha and Pepper for friends, and all the town for company-I’d be a right brute to think I was lonely after all _that_ , wouldn’t I, Mr. Parker? I’ve got nothing to miss, little one, because I’ve nothing to regret.”

“That’s true,” Peter considers, eyes falling to the fence as he frowns in thought. “But what about your papa and mama? Don’t you miss them?” 

“Let me ask you something, Mr. Parker,” Tony whispers, gesturing for Peter to come in close and listen to him while Steve leans against the walls of the shed from behind them, a strange, tired smile working its way across his face as he listens to them. 

“Do _you_ miss your mama and papa?” Tony asks him solemnly, Peter blinking at him in surprise. 

“I don’t know,” he answers honestly, brows furrowing before he continues slowly. “I never knew my mama and papa, really. I don’t think you can miss something you don’t know.”

“It’s the same for me,” Tony tells him, eyes bright and affectionate. “I don’t miss my mama and papa because I never rightly had them, but I don’t need to, you see, because I’ve got Steve, just like you have your Aunt May and Uncle Ben.”

Drawn out of his thoughts by the grumble of Peter’s little stomach interrupting their talk, Steve laughs lightly and makes his way over to them, swinging Peter off the fence and onto his hips.

“Come on then, Mr. Parker,” Steve teases as Tony watches them with fond amusement, “let’s get some food in your stomach before your Aunt May comes calling for me with that cooking spoon of hers.”

“Oh, Mr. Rogers, she’d never _use_ it,” Peter explains eagerly, hands fisting into the warm cotton of Steve’s shirt. “She just likes to pretend she’s mean.”

“Well, either way, I’d rather not find out myself,” Steve replies, turning to face Tony as his grin smooths out into something unbearably soft and warm, his hands reaching out patiently. “Coming, Mr. Tony?”

“But of course,” Tony murmurs in reply, his answering smile just as beautifully adoring when he slips his hand into Steve’s. 

Hand in hand, they walk into the home they made together with their little guest chirping at their side, and Steve lays his fears to rest. 

There's no regrets for them to carry-not in this house. 

**Author's Note:**

> this is a fill for my stony bingo card under "i regret nothing",, wherein rich boy Tony runs away with poor nomad Steve and settles down in a town where all our favorite heroes reside. i wrote it with comic stony vibes in mind, but it probably sounds more mcu-like, sorry sldkjflskjdfskfg 
> 
> anyways,,, if you're seeing this, thanks for reading and have a good day/afternoon/night!!! anyone who wants to talk stony to me is more than welcome to on tumblr [@shell-heads](https://shell-heads.tumblr.com)


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